President Putin has said the unification of Korean must be peaceful and added that in future Russia hoped to benefit from cooperation with a united country.

“We unconditionally support the Koreans’ yearning for the
unification of their nation. It is a natural process. But I
proceed from the certitude that it must be absolutely peaceful
and the interests of both the northern and southern parts of the
peninsula must be taken into consideration,” Putin told KBS
television prior to an official visit to Seoul.

“One side should not impose anything upon its partners, or
else, instead of positive results the process would take a
destructive character,” he added.

The Russian leader noted that Russia welcomed the unification,
and if it happened cooperation between Russia and the whole of
Korea would have new impetus. “We will doubtlessly reach new
frontiers because all possible restrictions connected with
political issues will be removed,” Putin said emphasizing
that such a situation would be especially beneficial to common
infrastructure projects.

Russia is currently working on a major railroad link that, once
completed, would unite the railroad systems of North and South
Korea and tie them to the trans-Siberian railway in Russia,
creating a fast and cheap transport route from Europe to Asia.
The first stage of the project between Russia’s Khasan and North
Korea’s Rajin was opened in October this year.

The Russian leader arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for talks with
South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

After the summit President Putin reminded reporters about his
peacekeeping mission. He said that Russia advocates the fastest
resumption of the six-party talks on the situation on the Korean
Peninsula.

“In this regard we have a common goal with the Republic of
Korea – to ensure the stability and security for all countries in
the region, to ensure the nuclear-free status of the Korean
Peninsula. This problem can only be solved through diplomatic
negotiations in the course of six-party talks,” Putin told a
news conference in Seoul.

President Park Geun-hye assured that her country would never
recognize North Korea’s nuclear status, adding that such a
position was necessary for maintaining peace in the region. The
president added that she had explained South Korea’s stance
during the talks.

During the summit the leaders of the two countries signed several
bilateral agreements on cooperation in the economic sphere
(including the Russian-Korean railway project), on mutual
cancelation of the visa regime and on cultural cooperation.